What is the Class Material Makeover Series?
This 6-week workshop series focuses on revising instructor-created classroom materials to meet digital accessibility standards. Each 30-minute Zoom session offers instructions and strategies on an element of digital accessibility. Facilitators will prioritize tools and features within ‘UMW Toolbox’ supported tools, although basic guidelines can easily be transferred to other platforms.
Sessions will be recorded and uploaded to UMW Learn. Registration is not required. Faculty can schedule consultations with Digital Learning Support and the Center for Teaching for more individualized support or follow-up.
Workshops begin at 4:00 PM. Facilitators will remain online after the instruction portion to address audience questions. All workshops may be accessed via a single workshop Zoom link.
September 24 (Wednesday): Headings
Learn the importance of providing structure to documents and materials through the use of headings. Facilitators will demo step-by-step how to set headings in common classroom materials as well as explain the right and wrong ways to use heading tools.
Headings workshop recording (24:56)
Digital Accessibility: Headings
September 30 (Tuesday): Alt Text
Alt text provides descriptive information for images embedded in class materials. Alt text applies to photographs and illustrations, but also icons and diagrams. Learn best practices for crafting alt text across different kinds of images and contexts.
Alt Text workshop recording (29:51)
Digital Accessibility: Alt Text
October 9 (Thursday): Descriptive Links
Links are used to navigate websites and often direct students to additional or supplemental course resources. Join this session to learn how to create strong descriptive links that are self-explanatory and easily distinguishable from other content.
Descriptive Links workshop recording (35:13)
Digital Accessibility: Descriptive Links
Resources shared during workshop: Accessibility of APA Style, MLA Style Center: Accessible Links in Entries; faculty are advised to consult their specific citation style guides for more information and strategies.
October 15 (Wednesday): Color and Contrast
In this session, learn how to successfully leverage color and contrast to promote readability of course materials. In addition, facilitators will demo how to check color and contrast and strategies for combining material elements with color to appropriately convey meaning.
Note: Due to audio recording difficulties discovered in editing, most of the live workshop had to be rerecorded. The rerecordings are in shorter clips.
Color & Contrast: Requirements (rerecorded; 9:37)
Demo 1: Word and Link Contrast Checkers (rerecorded; 14:38)
Demo 2: PowerPoint and Contrast Checkers (rerecorded; 15:41)
Demo 3: Color Contrast in Canvas (rerecorded; 5:10)
Demo 4: Web Design-DoOO & UMW Sites (original; 6:30)
Digital Accessibility: Color & Contrast
Resources shared during workshop: WebAIM contrast checker, WebAIM link contrast checker, Website Building at UMW: Accessible Web Design
October 23 (Thursday): Lists & Tables
Lists are a way to present related pieces of information in a structured, scannable format.Tables present complex data in an organized format, but they must be constructed carefully with specific features to be readable for all users. This workshop reviews appropriate uses of lists and tables and step-by-step directions for constructing readable lists and tables across different UMW Toolbox platforms.
Lists & Tables Workshop recording (25:01)
Digital Accessibility: Lists & Tables
October 30 (Thursday): Audio & Video
Join this workshop to learn standards and procedures for ensuring that your audio and video class materials are accessible for all students, including updated standards for captions, transcripts, and descriptions.
Audio and Video workshop recording (demo only; 31:23)
Digital Accessibility: Audio & Video
Special Topics
November 6 (Thursday): Slide Decks
Note: This session will be 60 minutes.
Whether in PowerPoint or Google Slides, accessible slide decks require a few extra considerations beyond the basics of digital accessibility. Join this workshop session to learn the unique requirements for digitally accessible slide decks and how to remediate your materials to be ready for the spring semester.
Slide Decks workshop recording (42:24)
Digital Accessibility: Slide Decks
November 11 (Tuesday): Syllabus
Note: This session will be 60 minutes.
The first document we often share with students is the class syllabus. In this workshop, we will tie together everything from our previous sessions and remediate common accessibility errors in syllabi. Bring a spring syllabus to the session to follow along or share your syllabus question ahead of time with the DLS and CfT teams to be a spotlight makeover example.
Syllabus workshop recording (44:23)